Mikis Theodorakis Explained
Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης in Greek, Modern (1453-); pronounced as /ˈmicis θeoðoˈɾacis/; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
He scored for the films Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and Serpico (1973). He was a three-time BAFTA nominee, winning for Z.[6] For the score in Serpico, he earned Grammy nominations.[7] Furthermore, for the score to Zorba the Greek, with its 'Zorba's Dance', he was Golden Globe nominated.[8]
He composed the "Mauthausen Trilogy", also known as "The Ballad of Mauthausen", which has been described as the "most beautiful musical work ever written about the Holocaust" and possibly his best work.[9] Up until his death, he was viewed as Greece's best-known living composer.[2] [4] [10] He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.[11]
Politically, he was associated with the left because of his long-standing ties to the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). He was an MP for the KKE from 1981 to 1990. Despite this however, he ran as an independent candidate within the centre-right New Democracy party in 1989, in order for the country to emerge from the political crisis that had been created due to the numerous scandals of the government of Andreas Papandreou.[12] He helped establish a large coalition between conservatives, socialists and leftists. In 1990 he was elected to the parliament (as in 1964 and 1981), became a government minister under Konstantinos Mitsotakis, and fought against drugs and terrorism and for culture, and education. He continued to speak out in favour of leftist causes, Greek–Turkish–Cypriot relations, and against the War in Iraq.[13] [14] He was a key voice against the 1967–1974 Greek junta, which imprisoned him and banned his songs.[15]
Early life
Theodorakis was born on the Greek island of Chios and spent his childhood years in provincial Greek cities including Mytilene,[16] Cephallonia,[16] Patras,[17] Pyrgos,[18] and Tripoli.[18] His father, a lawyer and a civil servant, was from the small village of Galatas on Crete[19] and his mother, Aspasia Poulakis, was from an ethnically Greek family in Çeşme, in what is now Turkey.[10] [20] [21] [22] [23] He was raised with Greek folk music and was influenced by Byzantine liturgy; as a child he had already talked about becoming a composer.[24]
His fascination with music began in early childhood; he taught himself to write his first songs without access to musical instruments. He took his first music lessons in Patras[25] and Pyrgos,[26] where he was a childhood friend of George Pavlopoulos,[27] and in Tripoli, Peloponnese,[28] he gave his first concert at the age of seventeen. He went to Athens in 1943, and became a member of a Reserve Unit of ELAS. He led a troop in the fight against the British and the Greek right in the Dekemvriana.[29] During the Greek Civil War he was arrested, sent into exile on the island of Icaria[30] and then deported to the island of Makronisos, where he was tortured and twice buried alive.[31]
During the periods when he was not obliged to hide, not exiled or jailed, he studied from 1943 to 1950 at the Athens Conservatoire under Filoktitis Economidis.[32] In 1950, he finished his studies and took his last two exams "with flying colours".[33] He went to Crete, where he became the "head of the Chania Music School" and founded his first orchestra.[34]
Studies in Paris
In 1953, Theodorakis married Myrto Altinoglou. The following year, they travelled to Paris, where he entered the Conservatory and studied musical analysis under Olivier Messiaen[35] and conducting under Eugene Bigot.[36]
His symphonic works: a Piano concerto, his first suite, his first symphony, and his scores for the ballet: Greek Carnival, Le Feu aux Poudres, Les Amants de Teruel, received international acclaim. In 1957, he won the Gold Medal in the Moscow Music Festival. In 1959, after the successful performances of Theodorakis's opera Antigone at Covent Garden in London, the French composer Darius Milhaud proposed him for the American Copley Music Prize – an award of the "William and Noma Copley Foundation",[37] which later changed its name to "Cassandra Foundation" as the "Best European Composer of the Year". His first international scores for the film Ill Met by Moonlight and Honeymoon (aka Luna de Miel), directors: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, were successful: The Honeymoon Song, title song of the later, became part of the repertoire of The Beatles.[38]
Back to Greek roots
In 1960, Theodorakis returned to Greece and his roots in Greek music. With his song cycle Epitaphios, he contributed to a cultural revolution in his country.[39] His most significant and influential works are based on Greek and world poetry – Epiphania (Giorgos Seferis), Little Kyklades (Odysseas Elytis), Axion Esti (Elytis), Mauthausen (Iakovos Kambanellis), Romiossini (Yannis Ritsos), and Romancero Gitano (Federico García Lorca) – he attempted to give back to Greek music a dignity which in his perception it had lost. He developed his concept of "metasymphonic music" (symphonic compositions that go beyond the "classical" status and mix symphonic elements with popular songs, Western symphonic orchestra and Greek popular instruments).[40]
He founded the Athens Little Symphony Orchestra and gave many concerts in the country, trying to familiarize people with symphonic music.[41]
After the assassination of Gregoris Lambrakis in May 1963 he founded the Lambrakis Democratic Youth ("Lambrákides") and was elected its president.[42] Under Theodorakis's impetus, it started a vast cultural renaissance movement and became the greatest political organisation in Greece with more than 50,000 members.[43] Following the 1964 elections, Theodorakis became a member of the Greek Parliament, associated with the left-wing party EDA. Because of his political ideas, the composer was black-listed by the cultural establishment; at the time of his biggest artistic glory, a large number of his songs were censored-before-studio or were not allowed on the radio stations.[44]
During 1964, he wrote the music for the Michael Cacoyiannis film Zorba the Greek, whose main theme, since then, exists as a trademark for Greece. It is also known as "Syrtaki dance", inspired by old Cretan traditional dances.[45]
During the dictatorship
On 21 April 1967 the Regime of the Colonels took power in a putsch. Theodorakis was a symbol of resistance to the military regime. He went into hiding, issued the first call for resistance against the dictatorship on 23 April. and founded the "Patriotic Front" (PAM).[46] On 1 June, the Colonels published "Army decree No 13", which banned playing, and even listening to his music. Theodorakis was arrested on 21 August,[47] and jailed for five months. He was released at the end of January 1968, and then deported in August to Zatouna with his wife, Myrto, and their two children, Margarita and Yorgos.[48] Later he was interned in the concentration camp of Oropos.[49]
An international solidarity movement, headed by such personalities as Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Miller, and Harry Belafonte demanded to get Theodorakis freed. On request of the French politician Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, Theodorakis was allowed to go into exile to Paris on 13 April 1970. Theodorakis' flight left secretly from an Onassis-owned private airport outside Athens. He arrived at Le Bourget Airport where he met Costa Gavras, Melina Mercouri and Jules Dassin. Theodorakis was immediately hospitalized with tuberculosis.[50] His wife and children joined him a week later in France, having travelled from Greece via Italy on a boat.[51]
He would compose, alongside Pagani, the anthem of the French Socialist Party, in 1977.[52] [53]
Resistance in exile
In 1971, Mikis Theodorakis was invited to Chile by then-president Salvador Allende. In Valparaíso, he listened to a group of young people who introduced him to part of the work of the poet Pablo Neruda. Theodorakis loved it and promised to give Chile his musical opinion on the Canto General. Back to Paris, in 1972 Theodorakis met Pablo Neruda when the Greek composer was rehearsing the musicalization of Canto General. Neruda was impressed and asked him to include poems such as "Lautaro" and "A Emiliano Zapata".[54]
He was received by Gamal Abdel Nasser and Tito, Yigal Allon and Yasser Arafat, while François Mitterrand, Olof Palme and Willy Brandt became his friends. For millions of people, Theodorakis was the symbol of resistance against the Greek dictatorship together with Melina Mercouri.[55] [56] [57]
Return to Greece
After the fall of the Colonels, Mikis Theodorakis returned to Greece on 24 July 1974 to continue his work and his concert tours, both in Greece and abroad.[58] His return was in triumph, with huge crowds and his music playing on the radio.[59] At the same time he participated in public affairs. In 1978, through his article For a United Left Wing, he had "stirred up the Greek political life. His proposal for the unification of the three parties of the former United Left – which had grown out of the National Liberation Front (N.L.F.) – had been accepted by the Greek Communist Party which later proposed him as the candidate for mayor of Athens during the 1978 elections." (Andreas Brandes)[60] He was later elected several times to the Greek Parliament (1981–1986 and 1989–1993) and for two years, from 1990 to 1992, he was a minister in the government of Constantine Mitsotakis. After his resignation as a member of Greek parliament, he was appointed General Musical Director of the Choir and the two Orchestras of the Hellenic State Radio (ERT), which he reorganised and with which he undertook successful concert tours abroad.[61]
He was committed to raising international awareness of human rights, environmental issues, and the need for peace. For this reason, he initiated, along with the Turkish author, musician, singer and filmmaker Zülfü Livaneli, the Greek–Turkish Friendship Society.[62]
From 1981, Theodorakis had started the fourth period of his musical writing, during which he returned to the symphonic music, while still going on to compose song-cycles. His most significant works written in these years are his Second, Third, Fourth and Seventh Symphony, most of them being first performed in the former German Democratic Republic between 1982 and 1989. It was during this period that he received the Lenin Peace Prize. He composed his first opera Kostas Kariotakis (The Metamorphoses of Dionysus) and the ballet Zorba the Greek, premièred in the Arena of Verona during the Festival Verona 1988. During this period, he also wrote the five volumes of his autobiography: The Ways of the Archangel (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Οι δρόμοι του αρχάγγελου).[63]
In 1989, he started the fifth period, the last, of his musical writing: He composed three operas (lyric tragedies) Medea, first performed in Bilbao (1 October 1991), Elektra, first performed in Luxembourg (2 May 1995) and Antigone, first performed in Athens' Megaron Moussikis (7 October 1999). This trilogy was complemented by his last opera Lysistrata, first performed in Athens (14 April 2002): a call for peace... With his operas, and with his song cycles from 1974 to 2006, Theodorakis ushered in the period of his Lyrical Life.[64]
In March 1997, gave a concert at the Berlin Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Afterwards he was hospitalized due to respiratory difficulties and it was when he declared that this was his last concert.[65]
Theodorakis was Doctor honoris causa of several universities.[66]
Later life and death
He later lived in retirement, reading, writing, publishing arrangements of his scores, texts about culture and politics. On occasions he took position: in 1999, opposing NATO's Kosovo war and in 2003 against the Iraq War. In 2005, he was awarded the Sorano Friendship and Peace Award, the Russian International St.-Andrew-the-First-Called Prize, the insignia of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of Luxembourg, and the IMC UNESCO International Music Prize, while already in 2002 he was honoured in Bonn with the Erich Wolfgang Korngold Prize for film music at the International Film Music Biennial in Bonn[67] (cf also: Homepage of the Art and Exhibition Hall Bonn).[68] In 2007, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the distribution of the World Soundtrack Awards in Ghent.[69]
A final set of songs titled: Odysseia was composed by utilizing poetry written by Costas Kartelias for lyrics. In 2009 he composed a Rhapsody for Strings (Mezzo-Soprano or Baryton ad lib.). Created on 30 January 2013, Theodorakis achieved the distinction of producing one of the largest works by any composer of any time.[70]
On 26 February 2019, Theodorakis was hospitalized with heart problems. On 8 March, he underwent surgery for a pacemaker.[71] [72] He died of cardiopulmonary arrest at his home in Athens on 2 September 2021, at the age of 96.[73] The Greek Prime Minister declared three days of national mourning to honour him,[74] and his body lay in state in the chapel of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, with thousands of people, including artists, as well as political leaders from all Greek parties paying their last respects. Epitaphs were delivered by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Aikaterini Sakellaropoulou, and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece, Dimitrios Koutsoumbas. Afterwards, according to his will, his body was transferred by boat overnight to be buried in his hometown of Galatas, near Chania, Crete, where his parents and brother were buried. [75]
Political views
Israel and Jews
Theodorakis opposed Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. He criticised Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou for establishing closer relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was guilty, he said, of "war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza."[76] Theodorakis was a vocal critic of Zionism, and referred to himself as an "anti-Zionist."[77] [78] [79] [80] In 2003, he stated, "Everything that happens today in the world has to do with the Zionists ... American Jews are behind the world economic crisis that has hit Greece as well." He was accused of saying that "this small nation (Israel) is the root of evil".[81] Theodorakis later clarified his comments, stating in a letter to the Central Council of Jews in Greece that what he had said was: "Unfortunately the state of Israel supports the United States and their foreign policy, which is the root of the Evil and, therefore, it is close to the root of the Evil.”[82] He was also accused of having admitted his anti-Semitism during an interview on Greek TV on February 8, 2011. His controversial statement on television had been: “I should clarify that I am anti-Semite. Essentially, I love the Jewish people, I love the Jews, I have lived long with them but as much as I hate anti-Semitism, I hate Zionism even more so”, being "I am anti-Semite" an obvious slip of the tongue for "anti-Zionist".[82] In 2013, he condemned Golden Dawn for Holocaust denial.[83]
Views of the United States
Theodorakis was a long-time critic of the United States foreign policy. During the invasion of Iraq, he called Americans "detestable, ruthless cowards and murderers of the people of the world". He said he would consider anyone who interacted with "these barbarians", for whatever reason, as his enemy.[84] Theodorakis greatly opposed the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia during the Yugoslav Wars. He participated in a charity concert protesting the bombing in 1999.[85]
2010–2011: Non-political movement
On 1 December 2010, Mikis Theodorakis founded "Spitha: People's Independent Movement", a non-political movement which calls people to gather and express their political ideas. The main goal of "Spitha" is to help Greece stay clear of its economic crisis.[86] On 31 May 2011, Theodorakis gave a speech attended by approximately 10,000 people in the center of Athens, criticising the Greek government for the loan debt it has taken from the International Monetary Fund.[87]
Positions on Macedonia
In 1997 Mikis Theodorakis stated on the Macedonian issue that "The name does not matter so much, as long as the peoples live in peace". Later, in an interview, he stressed "In fact, this country is being pushed towards improving relations with Greece. So why shouldn't it be possible for our relations to prosper at all levels and whatever comes up? The Customs Union, confederation, etc. are just conditions. In any case, I think that the name issue will be overcome when the relations between the two peoples reach such a point that the name will not matter at all".[88]
Theodorakis was one of the main speakers at the Rally for Macedonia in Athens, which took place on 4 February 2018. In his speech, he stated that "Macedonia is one, was, is and will always be Greek."[89] [90] The statements garnered support from parties in parliament, while even Golden Dawn MPs welcomed Mikis Theodorakis' shift on the name of Macedonia. Members of SYRIZA and Yiannis Boutaris commented negatively on Theodorakis' statements. Also, the day before the rally, a group of anarchists threw paint at the entrance of his house and then wrote threatening messages, such as: "Your story starts from the mountain and ends in the national swamp of Syntagma Square.[91]
Works
Source:[92]
His song cycles are based on poems by Greek authors, as well as by García Lorca and Neruda: Epitaphios, Archipelagos, Politia A-D, Epiphania, The Hostage, Mykres Kyklades, Mauthausen, Romiossini, Sun and Time, Songs for Andreas, Mythology, Night of Death, Ta Lyrika, The Quarters of the World, Dionysos, Phaedra, Mia Thalassa, Os Archaios Anemos, Ta Lyrikotera, Ta Lyrikotata, Erimia, Odysseia.Theodorakis released two albums of his songs and song cycles on Paredon Records and Folkways Records in the early seventies, including his Peoples' Music: The Struggles of the Greek People (1974).[93]
Symphonic works
- 1945: The Apocalypse (Ode to Beethoven)
- 1947: Festival of Asi Gonia
- 1952: Piano Concerto "Helikon"
- 1953: First Symphony ("Proti Simfonia")
- 1954–1959: 3 Orchestral Suites
- 1958: Piano Concerto No 1
- 1981: Symphony No 2 ("The Song of the Earth"; text: Mikis Theodorakis) for children's choir, piano, and orchestra
- 1981: Symphony No 3 (texts: Dionysios Solomos; Constantine P. Cavafy; Byzantine hymns) for soprano, choir, and orchestra
- 1983: Symphony No 7 ("Spring-Symphony"; texts: Yannis Ritsos; Yorgos Kulukis) for four soloists, choir, and orchestra
- 1986–1987: Symphony No 4 ("Of Choirs") for soprano, mezzo, narrator, choir, and symphonic orchestra without strings
- 1995: Rhapsody for Guitar and Orchestra
- 1995: Sinfonietta
- 1996: Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra
- 2008: Rhapsody for Trumpet and Orchestra (for Piccolo Trumpet, orchestrated by Robert Gulya)
- 2010: "Andalusia" for Mezzo and Orchestra
Source:
Chamber music
- 1942: Sonatina for piano
- 1945: Elegy No 1, for cello and piano
- 1945: Elegy No 2, for violin and piano
- 1946: String Quartet No 1
- 1946: String Quartet No 2 "To Kimiterio"
- 1946: Duetto, for two violins
- 1947: Trio, for violin, cello and piano
- 1947: 11 Preludes, for piano
- 1947: Sexteto, for piano, flute and string quartet
- 1949: Study for two violins and cello
- 1952: Syrtos Chaniotikos, for piano and percussion
- 1952: Sonatina No 1, for violin and piano
- 1955: Little Suite, for piano
- 1955: Passacaglia, for two pianos
- 1959: Sonatina No 2, for violin and piano
- 1989: Choros Assikikos, for violoncello solo
- 1996: Melos, for piano
- 2007: East of the Aegean, for cello and piano
Cantatas and oratorios
- 1960: Axion Esti (text: Odysseas Elytis)
- 1969: The March of the Spirit (text: Angelos Sikelianos)
- 1971–82: Canto General (text: Pablo Neruda)
- 1981–82: Kata Saddukaion Pathi (Sadducean-Passion; text: Michalis Katsaros) for tenor, baritone, bass, choir and orchestra
- 1982: Liturgy No 2 ("To children, killed in War"); texts: Tassos Livaditis, Mikis Theodorakis) for choir
- 1982–83: Lorca, for voice, solo guitar, choir, and orchestra (based on Romancero Gitano (text: Federico García Lorca, translated by Odysseas Elytis)
- 1992: Canto Olympico, for voice, solo piano, choir, and orchestra (texts: Dimitra Manda, Mikis Theodorakis)
- 1999: Requiem (text: St. John Damascene)
Hymns
- 1970: Hymn for Nasser
- 1973: Hymn for the Socialist Movement in Venezuela
- 1973: Hymn for the Students. dedicated to the victims of Polytechnical School in Athens (18.11.)
- 1977: Hymn of the French Socialist Party
- 1978: Hymn for Malta
- 1982: Hymn of P.L.O.
- 1991: Hymn of the Mediterranean Games
- 1992: "Hellenism" (A song for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics, later used again during the 2004 Summer Olympics)
Ballets
- 1953: Carnaval (choreography: Rallou Manou)
- 1958: Le Feu aux Poudres (choreography: Paul Goubé)
- 1958: Les Amants de Teruel (choreography: Milko Šparemblek)
- 1959: Antigone (choreography: John Cranko)
- 1972: Antigone in Jail (choreography: Micha van Hoecke)
- 1979: Elektra (choreography: Serge Kenten)
- 1983: Sept Danses Grecques (choreography: Maurice Béjart)
- 1987–88: Zorba il Greco (choreography: Lorca Massine)
Operas
- 1984–1985: Kostas Karyotakis (The Metamorphosis of Dionysos)
- 1988–1990: Medea
- 1992–1993: Elektra
- 1995–1996: Antigone
- 1999–2001: Lysistrata
Music for the stage
Classical tragedies
Modern plays
- 1960–1961: To Tragoudi tou Nekrou Adelfou (Ballad of the Dead Brother), Musical Tragedy (text: Mikis Theodorakis)
- 1961–1962: Omorphi Poli (Beautiful City), revue (Bost, Dimitris Christodoulou, Christofelis, et al.)
- 1963: I Gitonia ton Angelon (The Quarter of Angels), Music-drama (Iakovos Kambanelis)
- 1963: Magiki Poli (Enchanted City), revue (Mikis Theodorakis, Notis Pergialis, Michalis Katsaros)
- 1971: Antigoni stin Filaki (Antigone in Jail), drama
- 1974: Prodomenos Laos (Betrayed People), music for the theatre (Vangelis Goufas)
- 1975: Echtros Laos (Enemy People), drama (Iakovos Kambanelis)
- 1975: Christophorus Kolumbus, drama (Nikos Kazantzakis)
- 1976: Kapodistrias, drama (Nikos Kazantzakis)
- 1977: O Allos Alexandros ("The Other Alexander"), drama (Margarita Limberaki)
- 1979: Papflessas, play (Spiros Melas)
International theatre
- 1961: Enas Omiros (The Hostage), drama (Brendan Behan)
- 1963: The Chinese Wall, drama (Max Frisch)
- 1975: Das Sauspiel, tragicomedy (Martin Walser)
- 1979: Caligula, drama (Albert Camus)
- 1978: Polites B' Katigorias (Second-Class Citizens), drama (Brian Friel)
- 1980: Perikles, tragedy, (William Shakespeare)
- 1994: Macbeth, tragedy (William Shakespeare)
Principal film scores
Source:[94] [95]
Scores
- Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra
- March of the spirit (Oratorio, Full Score)
- Axion esti (Oratorio Full Score)
- Zorbas Ballet (Suite – Ballet, Full Score)
- Carnaval (Suite – Ballet Full, Score)
- Adagio (Full Score) & Sinfonietta (Full Score)
- Epiphania Averof (Cantata)
- Canto Olympico (Oratorio)
- Les Eluard
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ο κύκλος
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: 20 τραγούδια για πιάνο και αρμόνιο
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Η Βεατρίκη στην οδό Μηδέν
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Μια θάλασσα γεμάτη μουσική
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Τα λυρικώτερα
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Τα λυρικώτατα
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Τα πρόσωπα του Ήλιου
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Φαίδρα (Phaedra)
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Λιποτάκτες
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Θαλασσινά φεγγάρια
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ασίκικο πουλάκη
- Romancero Gitano (Greek, Modern (1453-);: για πιάνο – φωνή)
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Τα Λυρικά
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ταξίδι μέσα στη νύχτα
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Μικρές Κυκλάδες
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Διόνυσος (Dionysus)
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Επιφάνια (Epiphany)
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Επιτάφιος (Epitaph)
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Μπαλάντες. Κύκλος τραγουδιών για πιάνο και φωνή
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Χαιρετισμοί. Κύκλος τραγουδιών για πιάνο και φωνή
- Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ένα όμηρος
Internationally available CD releases
- Mikis Theodorakis & Zülfü Livaneli — Together (Tropical), 1997.[97]
- Mikis Theodorakis — First Symphony & Adagio (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Mikis (Peregrina)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Symphony No. 4 (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Symphony No. 7 (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Requiem: For soloists, choir and symphonic orchestra (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Symphonietta & Etat de Siege (Wergo/Schott)
- Maria Farantouri & Rainer Kirchmann — Sun & Time: Songs by Theodorakis (Lyra)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Mauthausen Trilogy: In Greek, Hebrew and English (Plaene)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Carnaval — Raven (for mezzo and symphonic orchestra) (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Resistance (historic recordings) (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — First Songs (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Antigone/Medea/Electra (3-Opera Box) (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — The Metamorphosis of Dionysus (Opera) (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — Rhapsodies for Cello and Guitar (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis — East of the Aegean (for cello and piano) (Wergo/Schott)
- Mikis Theodorakis & Francesco Diaz — Timeless (Wormland White)
Source:[98]
- Maria Farantouri — Poetica (Songs by Theodorakis) (Peregrina)
- Maria Farantouri — Asmata (Songs by Theodorakis) (Peregrina)
- Irene Papas — Songs of Theodorakis (RCA Records, 1968)
Written works
Books in Greek by Theodorakis:
- Το χρέος (The Debt), ed. Terradia tetradias tis Democracy 1970–1971.
- Μουσική για τις μάζες (Music for the masses), ed. Olkos, 1972.
- Στοιχεία για μια νέα πολιτική» (Elements for new politics), ed. Papazisis, 1972.
- Δημοκρατική και συγκεντρωτική αριστερά (Democratic and centralized left), ed. Papazisis, 1972.
- Οι μνηστήρες της Πηνελόπης (The suitors of Penelope), ed. Papazisis, 1976.
- Περί Τέχνης (On Art), ed. Papazisis, 1976.
- Η αλλαγή. Προβλήματα ενότητας της Αριστεράς (Change. Problems of Unity of the Left), 1978.
- Μαχόμενη Κουλτούρα (Fighting Culture), 1982.
- Για την ελληνική μουσική (For Greek Music), 1983.
- Ανατομία της σύγχρονης μουσικής (Anatomy of Contemporary Music), ed. Synchroni Epochi, 1983.
- Star System, ed. Kaktos, 1984.
- Οι δρόμοι του αρχάγγελου (The Roads of the Archangel), autobiography, ed. Cedros, 1986–1995.
- Ζητείται Αριστερά (The Left is Wanted), ed. Sideris, 1989.
- Αντιμανιφέστο (Antimanefesto), ed. Gnoseis.
- Πού πάμε (Where are we going?), ed. Gνoseis, 1989.
- Ανατομία της Μουσικής (Anatomy of Music), ed. Alpheios, 1990.
- Να μαγευτώ και να μεθύσω (To be enchanted and drunk), ed. Livani, 2000.
- Το μανιφέστο των Λαμπράκηδων (The Lambrakis Manifesto), ed. Helleniki Grammata, 2003.
- The trilogy Πού να βρω την ψυχή μου... (Where to find my soul...), ed. Livani, 2003.
- Μάνου Χατζηδάκι εγκώμιον (Praise of Manos Hadjidakis), ed. Janos, 2004.
- Σπίθα για μια Ελλάδα ανεξάρτητη και δυνατή (Spark for an independent and strong Greece), ed. Janos, 2011.
- Διάλογοι στο λυκόφως-90 συνεντεύξεις (Dialogues in the twilight-90 interviews), ed. Janos, 2016.
- Μονόλογοι στο λυκαυγές (Monologues in the twilight), ed. Janos, 2017.
- "The Dialectics of Harmony (Στη Διαλεκτική της Αρμονίας), co-authored with Kostas Gouliamos, Gutenberg, 1918[99]
Poems
- Το τραγούδι του νεκρού αδελφού (The Song of the Dead Brother).
- Ο Ήλιος και ο Χρόνος (The Sun and Time).
- Αρκαδία Ι (Arcadia I).
- Αρκαδία VI (Arcadia VI).
- Αρκαδία X (Arcadia X).
- Τραγούδι της γης (Song of the Earth) from Symphony No. 2.
Awards and decorations
Further reading
- Jean Boivin, Messiaen's Teaching at the Paris Conservatoire: A Humanist Legacy, in Siglind Bruhn, Messiaen's Language of Mystical Love (New York, Garland, 1998), 5–31: 10
- George Giannaris: Mikis Theodorakis. Music and Social Change, Foreword by Mikis Theodorakis. G. Allen, London, 1972
- Gail Holst: Myth & Politics in Modern Greek Music, Adolf M. Hakkert, Amsterdam, 1980
- Mikis Theodorakis: Journals of Resistance. Translated from the French by Graham Webb, Hart-Davis MacGibbon, London, 1973
- Mikis Theodorakis: Music and Theater, Translated by George Giannaris, Athens, 1983
- Asteris Koutoulas: O Mousikos Theodorakis / Theodorakis the Musician (in Greek). "Nea Synora – A. A. Livami, 1998.
- Guy Wagner: Mikis Theodorakis. Mia Zoi yia tin Ellada. Typothito – Giorgos Dardanos, 2002. (The biography exists also in French: Mikis Theodorakis. Une Vie pour la Grèce. Editions Phi, Luxembourg, 2000; and in German: Mikis Theodorakis. Ein Leben für Griechenland. Editions Phi, Luxembourg, 1995)
- George Logothetis: Mikis Theodorakis: the Greek soul, translated from the Greek by Phillipos Chatzopoulos, Agyra editions 2004, . The Chinese version has been published by Shanghai Baijia Publishing House in 2008, .
- Asteris Kutulas: Mikis Theodorakis. A Life in pictures (in German), Coffee-table book with 1 DVD & 2 CDs. Schott Music, Mainz 2010,
- Arja Saijonmaa
En ung naken kvinna : mötet med Mikis (A young naked woman – the meeting with Mikis), (bound) Stockholm : Piratförlaget, 2011 Swedish 443 pages, [16] picture pages + 1 CD with four songs by Mikis Theodorakis.
External links
Notes and References
- Book: John Chrysochoos, Ph.D.. Ikaria – Paradise in Peril. 1 November 2012. 17 November 2010. Dorrance Publishing. 978-1-4349-8240-7. 24. Theodorakis the internationally renowned Greek composer.
- Book: Maura Ellyn. Maura McGinnis. Greece: A Primary Source Cultural Guide. 1 November 2012. 1 August 2004. The Rosen Publishing Group. 978-0-8239-3999-2. 86. Considered Greece's greatest living composer, Theodorakis has written many scores..
- http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/4194/53430 Athensnews Interview: Theodorakis' call to arms Famous composer Theodorakis addresses protesters during a rally against a new austerity package, outside the University of Athens, in 2011
- Book: Mike Gerrard. National Geographic Traveler: Greece, 3rd Edition. 1 November 2012. 3 March 2009. National Geographic Society. 978-1-4262-0396-1. 47–. The most famous Greek musician of contemporary times is undoubtedly Mikis Theodorakis (born 1925), best known for.
- Web site: Embassy of Greece International conference honors renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis' 80th birthday An international conference dedicated to the work of famous music composer Mikis Theodorakis in honor of his 80th birthday, kicked off on Friday in Hania, Crete.. https://web.archive.org/web/20110605221633/http://www.greekembassy.org/Embassy/Content/en/Article.aspx?office=3&folder=218&article=15530. dead. 5 June 2011. 14 October 2021.
- Web site: BAFTA - Mikis Theodorakis. 13 September 2021 .
- Web site: GRAMMY AWARDS - Mikis Theodorakis.
- Web site: GOLDEN GLOBES - Mikis Theodorakis.
- News: Αντωνης Μποσκοιτης. Αφιέρωμα στη Μπαλάντα του Μάουτχάουζεν του Μίκη Θεοδωράκη και του Ιάκωβου Καμπανέλλη Το ωραιότερο μουσικό έργο για το Ολοκαύτωμα που γράφτηκε ποτέ. 27 December 2015. Lifo.gr. 2 February 2015. Google translation: "A Tribute to Ballad of Mauthausen Mikis Theodorakis and Iakovos Kambanellis The finest musical work about the Holocaust ever written.".
- Book: Dimitris Keridis. Historical Dictionary of Modern Greece. 3 November 2012. 28 July 2009. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-5998-2. 150–.
- Yearbook of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in Russian). Moscow: Sovetskaya Enciklopediya. 1983
- Theodorakis: Greek, Modern (1453-);: Οι δρόμοι του αρχάγγελου V / The Ways of the Archangel, Autobiography, Volume V, p. 331 sq
- Web site: 27 July 2004 . Official Website . https://web.archive.org/web/20171219084020/http://en.mikis-theodorakis.net/index.php/article/articleview/46/1/11/ . 19 December 2017 . En.mikis-theodorakis.net.
- Web site: 15 September 2005 . Official Website . https://web.archive.org/web/20120205195226/http://en.mikis-theodorakis.net/index.php/article/articleview/440/1/10/ . 5 February 2012 . En.mikis-theodorakis.net.
- Theodorakis: Journal of Resistance
- Book: Γιωργος ΑρΧιμανδριτης. Σε πρωτο προσωπο: Μικης Θεοδωρακης. 8 November 2012. 2007. Ελληνικα Γραμματα. 978-960-442-911-0.
- Book: Mikis Theodorakis. Μελοποιημενη ποιηση. 8 November 2012. 1997. Υψιλον/Βιβλια.
- Book: Μικης Θεοδωρακης. Γιαννης Κουγιουμουτζακης. Ιδρυμα ΤεΧνολογιας και Ερευνας (Greece). Συμπαντικε αρμονια, μουσικη και επιστημη: στον Μικη Θεοδωρακη. 8 November 2012. 2007. Πανεπιστημιακες Εκδοσεις Κρητης. 978-960-524-253-4. ... Σύρος και Αθήνα (1929), Γιάννενα (1930- 1932),Αόλι (1933-1936), Πάτρα (1937-1938), Πύργος (1938-1939), Τρίπολη
- Book: George Giannaris. Mikis Theodorakis: music and social change. 3 November 2012. 1972. Praeger. For nearly six months, Mikis remained on the island of Crete trying to put the past behind, and become a human being ... For too long, he had been a drain on hisfather who was finding it difficult to practice his profession in the tiny village of KatoGalata, or even the larger town of Cha- nia. There was no dearth of lawyersestablished in the area for years, and even though Yiorgos had been born there, his.
- Book: The New York Times Biographical Service. 3 November 2012. April 1970. New York Times & Arno Press.
- Book: Bernard A. Cook. Europe Since 1945: An Encyclopedia. 3 November 2012. 2001. Routledge. 978-0-203-80174-1. 939–.
- Book: Sir Compton Mackenzie. Christopher Stone. The Gramophone. 3 November 2012. 2005. C. Mackenzie. MIKIS THEODORAKIS AT 80 Mikis Theodoralris celebrated his 80th birthday on July 29 this year. ... His mother had moved to the Greek islands from Asia Minor just before the Lausanne Peace Conference in 1923 obliged 1.5 million other.
- Book: Journal of Modern Hellenism. 3 November 2012. 2001. Hellenic College Press. While there is no record of a young Mikis Theodorakis being subjected to any serious direct personal physical or psychological trauma, he did grew up in ... His mother, Aspasia Poulakis, was a refugee form Tsemes, a coastal city in Asia Minor.
- Book: Mikis Theodorakis. Journals of resistance. 3 November 2012. 1973. Hart-Davis McGibbon. 978-0-246-10597-4. 29 July 1925 Mikis Theodorakis is born on the island of Chios. ... Theodorakis learns to sing Byzantine hymns and, since his father is from Crete and his mother from the Greek colony in Asia Minor, he also gets to know the very varied tradition=.
- Theodorakis: Οι δρόμοι του αρχάγγελου Ι / The Ways of the Archangel, Autobiography, Volume I, p. 72 sq.
- Theodorakis, op. cit., p. 82 sq.
- Levi, Peter. (1980) The Hill of Kronos.
- Theodorakis, op. cit., Chapter II, p. 95 sq.
- Theodorakis: Greek, Modern (1453-);: Οι δρόμοι του αρχάγγελου II / The Ways of the Archangel, Autobiography, Volume II, Ch. 3, p. 11 sq; cf. also p. 174sq; Mikis Theodorakis, Greek, Modern (1453-);: Τα δικά μου Δεκεμβριανά / My December '44, 1944: Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ο Μοιραίος Δεκέμβριος / The Fateful December, special supplement of newspaper 'Vima', Sunday, 5 December 2010, p. 54.
- Theodorakis, op. cit., Ch. 4, p. 95 sq.
- Theodorakis: Greek, Modern (1453-);: Οι δρόμοι του αρχάγγελου III / The Ways of the Archangel, Autobiography: Read the complete, deeply moving Volume III ("The Nightmare")
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis – The Home Page – About the Trio . En.mikis-theodorakis.net . 30 July 2004 . 13 February 2012.
- George Giannaris: Mikis Theodorakis. Music and Social Change, p. 81
- Theodorakis: Greek, Modern (1453-);: Οι δρόμοι του αρχάγγελου IV / The Ways of the Archangel, Autobiography, Volume IV, p. 259 sq
- Jean Boivin, 'Messiaen's Teaching at the Paris Conservatoire: A Humanist Legacy', in Siglind Bruhn, Messiaen's Language of Mystical Love (New York, Garland, 1998), p.10
- George Giannaris, op. cit., p. 90 sq
- Web site: Inventory of the William and Noma Copley Foundation and Collection Records, 1954–1980 . Oac.cdlib.org . 13 February 2012.
- Web site: 2008-03-16. The Honeymoon Song. 2021-09-03. The Beatles Bible. en-GB.
- George Giannaris, op. cit., p. 118 sq
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis: Music, politics, passion . Greek News Agenda . 14 September 2021 . 29 July 2019.
- Λάδης, Φώντας (2005). Μίκης Θεοδωράκης το χρονικό μιας επανάστασης 1960–1967. Αθήνα. σελ. 20–250.
- Gail Holst. Mikis Theodorakis. Myth & Politics in Modern Greek Music, p. 74 sq
- Mikis Theodorakis: Journal of Resistance, (Dictionary), p. 328
- Gail Holst, op. cit., p. 78
- Web site: 2 September 2021. Mikis Theodorakis: Greek Patriot, Renowned Composer Dead at 96. 2 September 2021. Greek Reporter. en-US.
- Web site: Trousas. Fondas. Ο Μίκης Θεοδωράκης τις ημέρες του Πολυτεχνείου: το παράδοξο της απαγόρευσης των τραγουδιών, αλλά όχι του βιβλίου του. 16 November 2018. Lifo. el.
- Mikis Theodorakis: Journal of Resistance, p. 71 sq
- Mikis Theodorakis, op. cit., p. 169 sq
- Mikis Theodorakis, op. cit., p. 263 sq
- Mikis Theodorakis, op. cit, p. 280sq
- The story of this rescue in French, cf. Guy Wagner: Mikis Theodorakis. Une vie pour la Grèce, p. 387 sq.; in German, cf. Guy Wagner: Mikis Theodorakis. Ein Leben für Griechenland, p. 420 sq
- Web site: Ina.fr. Institut National de l'Audiovisuel-. 1977 : Mikis Theodorakis présente l'hymne du PS, "Changer la vie" – Archives vidéo et radio Ina.fr. 2021-09-04. Ina.fr. fr-FR.
- Book: Gaffney, J.. Political Leadership in France: From Charles de Gaulle to Nicolas Sarkozy. 2010-04-09. Springer. 978-0-230-27478-5. en.
- La fascinante historia de la amistad entre Mikis Theodorakis y Pablo Neruda que llevó al compositor griego a musicalizar el poemario "Canto General". BBC in Spanish. 2 September 2021. Spanish.
- Gail Holst, op. cit, p. 206 sq
- François Mitterrand: Je peux me dire son ami (Preface to: Mikis Theodorakis: Les Fiancés de Pénélope)
- News: Mikis Theodorakis, 'Zorba' Composer and Marxist Rebel, Dies at 96. The New York Times. 2 September 2021. Robert. D. McFadden.
- Gail Holst, op. cit, p. 271 sq
- News: Theodorakis Expresses Joy on Return to Athens. July 26, 1974. The New York Times.
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis – The Home Page – "I Gitonies tou Kosmou" . En.mikis-theodorakis.net . 24 August 2004 . 13 February 2012.
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis – The Home Page – 1988-1996 . En.mikis-theodorakis.net . 13 February 2012.
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis profile. Loizidis.com. 13 February 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713232743/http://www.loizidis.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=147&Itemid=116&lang=en. 13 July 2011. dead.
- News: McFadden. Robert D.. 2 September 2021. 3 September 2021 . A20 . . Mikis Theodorakis, Greek Composer and Marxist Rebel, Dies at 96. en-US. The New York Times. 2 September 2021. 0362-4331.
- Web site: Kutulas . Asteris . Mikis Theodorakis, without a partner in dialogue . Neos Kosmos . 14 September 2021 . 3 September 2021.
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis: Greece's poet of freedom. 2 September 2021. Deutsche Welle.
- News: Mikis Theodorakis, figure des arts et de la politique en Grèce, est mort. 2 September 2021. Sud Ouest. 9 February 2021 . fr-FR. Jonathan . Stéphane C. .
- Web site: classical music – andante – news. 11 January 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030111003119/http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=17497. 14 October 2021. 11 January 2003.
- Web site: Art and Exhibition Hall – International Biennal For Film . 2.kah-bonn.de . 28 June 2002 . 13 February 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120222234516/http://www2.kah-bonn.de/filmmusik/mikise.htm . 22 February 2012 .
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis – The Home Page – 20.10.07: Lifetime Achievement Award . En.mikis-theodorakis.net . 23 September 2007 . 13 February 2012 . 7 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210907233114/http://en.mikis-theodorakis.net/index.php/article/articleview/493/1/71/ . dead .
- Web site: Athens News Agency: News in English, 07–03–20 . Hri.org . 13 February 2012.
- Web site: Zorba composer Mikis Theodorakis in hospital with 'heart problem'. France24.com. 7 March 2019.
- Web site: Famed Greek Composer Theodorakis, Now Anti-SYRIZA, Hospitalized. The National Herald. 10 March 2019.
- News: 2 September 2021. Mikis Theodorakis, composer of Zorba the Greek, dies aged 96. en-GB. BBC News. 2 September 2021.
- News: 3 September 2021. Nation mourns a great Greek. en-GB. Ekathimerini.com. 3 September 2021.
- News: 8 September 2021. Theodorakis' remains depart Piraeus for Crete. en-GB. Ekathimerini.com. 8 September 2021.
- Web site: 'Zorba the Greek' composer: I'm anti-Semitic . Jpost.com . 15 February 2011 . 13 February 2012.
- Web site: 'Zorba' Composer Declares Himself an Anti-Semite. A. Makris. Greece.greekreporter.com. 10 February 2011.
- News: Zorba' composer declares himself an anti-Semite. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 9 February 2011. Oddly, during the television interview he said that "I'm an anti-Semite but I love Jews.".
- Book: Robert S. Wistrich. From Ambivalence to Betrayal: The Left, the Jews, and Israel. 1 June 2012. University of Nebraska Press. 978-0-8032-4083-4. 16.
- Book: Jonathan Rynhold. The Arab-Israeli Conflict in American Political Culture. 23 February 2015. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-107-09442-0. 26.
- Droumpouki . Anna Maria . Shaping Holocaust memory in Greece: memorials and their public history . National Identities . 2016 . 18 . 2 . 199–216 . 10.1080/14608944.2015.1027760. 2016NatId..18..199D . 144999147 .
- Web site: May 10, 2011 . Mikis Theodorakis’ response to Central Jewish Council of Greece . Newpost.
- News: Congress . World Jewish . World Jewish Congress . 31 May 2021 . 24 June 2013 . en.
- https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/world/a-nation-at-war-protest-anti-americanism-in-greece-is-reinvigorated-by-war.html? A Nation at War: Protest; Anti-Americanism in Greece Is Reinvigorated by War
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis – About the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia 16-6-2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151218104032/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV5caDKNeIU. 2015-12-18 . dead. . 16 June 2013 . 23 August 2014.
- Web site: gravity.gr – interactive web. Κίνηση Ανεξάρτητων Πολιτών – Επίσημη ιστοσελίδα. Mikis-theodorakis-kinisi-anexartiton-politon.gr. 13 February 2012.
- Web site: [//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzsUAD6y0s Η ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΜΙΚΗ ΘΕΟΔΩΡΑΚΗ ΣΤΑ ΠΡΟΠΥΛΑΙΑ 31-5-2011]. YouTube. 31 May 2011. 13 February 2012.
- Web site: Όταν ο Μίκης Θεοδωράκης έδινε συναυλία φιλίας στα Σκόπια. News247.gr. 5 February 2018. Christos. Demetis.
- Web site: Μίκης: Δεν θα δώσουμε ποτέ το όνομα Μακεδονία – Μας κυβερνούν εθνομηδενιστές. Proto Thema. 4 February 2018.
- Web site: «Ομιλία Μίκη Θεοδωράκη: Μας κυβερνούν εθνομηδενιστές. Με κανέναν τρόπο ο όρος Μακεδονία στο νέο όνομα της ΠΓΔΜ».. Huffington Post. 4 February 2018.
- Web site: Επίθεση με μπογιές και συνθήματα στο σπίτι του Μίκη Θεοδωράκη. Kathimerini. 3 February 2018.
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis . . 29 July 1925 . 14 August 2024.
- http://www.folkways.si.edu/searchresults.aspx?sPhrase=Mikis%20Theodorakis&sType='phrase'/ Theodorakis Discography
- Web site: Soundtracks. Official site. https://web.archive.org/web/20090921142809/http://int.mikis-theodorakis.net/index.php/article/static/15/. 21 September 2009.
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis discography in Allmusic. Allmusic.
- Web site: Recycling Medea (Special screening) – by Asteris Kutulas. Thegreekfilmfestivalinberlin.com. 14 October 2021.
- Book: Together! : Mikis Theodorakis & Zülfü Livaneli in concert. WorldCat . 872505711. 8 September 2021.
- Web site: Mikis Theodorakis discography. . 8 September 2021.
- Ο Μίκης Θεοδωράκης με δικά του λόγια . Kathimerini. 2 September 2021.
- Yearbook of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in Russian). Moscow: Sovetskaya Enciklopediya. 1983.
- News: Почасни грађани Града Новог Сада. 19 September 2022. skupstina.novisad.rs. Serbian.
- News: Znate li ko su počasni građani Novog Sada?. 19 September 2022. 021.rs. 19 May 2022. Serbian.
- News: Παρασημοφορήσεις από την ΠτΔ - Στον Μ. Θεοδωράκη ο Μεγαλόσταυρος του Τάγματος της Τιμής . 11 March 2024 . www.naftemporiki.gr . 23 July 2021 . el.
- Web site: Τα Oscars 2022 τίμησαν τη μνήμη του Μίκη Θεοδωράκη. Athens Voice. 28 March 2022 . 28 March 2022.